” More than half of some 770,000 soldiers are pessimistic about their future in the military and nearly as many are unhappy in their jobs, despite a six-year, $287 million campaign to make troops more optimistic and resilient, findings obtained by USA TODAY show.

Twelve months of data through early 2015 show that 403,564 soldiers, or 52%, scored badly in the area of optimism, agreeing with statements such as “I rarely count on good things happening to me.” Forty-eight percent have little satisfaction in or commitment to their jobs.

The results stem from resiliency assessments that soldiers are required to take every year. In 2014, for the first time, the Army pulled data from those assessments to help commanders gauge the psychological and physical health of their troops.

The effort produced startlingly negative results. In addition to low optimism and job satisfaction, more than half reported poor nutrition and sleep, and only 14% said they are eating right and getting enough rest.

The Army began a program of positive psychology in 2009 in the midst of two wars and as suicide and mental illness were on the rise. To measure resiliency the Army created a confidential, online questionnaire that all soldiers, including the National Guard and Reserve, must fill out once a year.

— Forty-eight percent or about 370,000 soldiers showed a lack of commitment to their job or would have chosen another if they had it to do over again. Only 28% felt good about what they do.

— About 300,000 soldiers or nearly 40% didn’t trust their immediate supervisor or fellow soldiers in their unit or didn’t feel respected or valued. Thirty-two percent felt good about about bosses and peers.”

” The United States Army intends to charge Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl with desertion and misbehavior before the enemy. That was Wednesday’s news, but the bigger story is the extravagant price the U.S. has paid because President Obama wanted to score political points.

Readers will recall that then-Private First Class Bergdahl went missing from his post in Paktika province in eastern Afghanistan in June 2009. Fellow soldiers suspected desertion, though the Army conducted a risky manhunt to recover him. The sergeant was quickly captured by the Taliban and held for five years.

The Associated Press has reported that an internal Pentagon investigation in 2010 found “incontrovertible” evidence that he had walked away from his post. Journalists also uncovered an exchange of letters in which the soldier wrote to his father “the title of U.S. soldier is just the lie of fools,” that he was “ashamed to even be american,” and that “the future is too good to waste on lies.” Replied father Robert: “OBEY YOUR CONSCIENCE!” “

” A competing rifle outperformed the Army’s favored M4A1 carbine in key firings during a competition last year before the service abruptly called off the tests and stuck with its gun, according to a new confidential report.

The report also says theArmy changed the ammunition midstream to a round “tailored” for the M4A1 rifle. It quoted competing companies as saying the switch was unfair because they did not have enough time to fire the new ammo and redesign their rifles before the tests began.

Exactly how the eight challengers — and the M4 — performed in a shootout to replace the M4, a soldier’s most important personal defense, has been shrouded in secrecy.

But an “official use only report” by the Center for Naval Analyses shows that one of the eight unidentified weapons outperformed the M4 on reliability and on the number of rounds fired before the most common type of failures, or stoppages, occurred, according to data obtained by The Washington Times. “

” A document released by the U.S. Army details preparations for “full scale riots” within the United States during which troops may be forced to engage in a “lethal response” to deal with unruly crowds of demonstrators.

The appearance of the document amidst growing unrest in Ferguson, Missouri, with the National Guard now being called in to deal with the disorder, is an ominous coincidence.

The 132-page document, titled U.S. Army Techniques Publication 3-39.33: Civil Disturbances (PDF), was written in April 2014 and recently obtained by Public Intelligence.

The document makes it clear that the techniques detailed therein are to be applied both outside and inside the “continental United States (CONUS)” in the event of “unruly and violent crowds” where it is “necessary to quell riots and restore public order.”

The training manual outlines scenarios under which, “Civil unrest may range from simple, nonviolent protests that address specific issues, to events that turn into full-scale riots.”

The most shocking aspect of the document is the fact that it describes the deployment of a “lethal response” directed against “unarmed civilians,” including “sniper response” and “small arms direct fire.”

Under the heading “sniper response,” the document states, “Ensure that target leaders or troublemakers are targeted,” in addition to a passage which states, “Exploit the psychological effect of an attack.” “

” Whenever people…entrust the defense of their country to a regular, standing army, composed of mercenaries, the power of that country will remain under the direction of the most wealthy citizens…” – “A Framer” in the independent gazetteer, 1791″

” About 550 Army majors, including some serving in Afghanistan, will soon be told they have to leave the service by next spring as part of a budget-driven downsizing of the service.

Gen. John Campbell, the vice chief of the Army, acknowledged Friday that telling troops in a war zone that they’re out of a job is a difficult task. But he said some of the soldiers could join the National Guard or the Army Reserve.

The decision to cut Army majors comes on the heels of a move to slash nearly 1,200 captains from the ranks. Army leaders were criticized at the time for giving 48 of them the bad news while they were deployed to Afghanistan.

The Army declined to say how many majors will be notified while they are at the battlefront.

” The ones that are deployed are certainly the hardest,” Campbell told reporters. “What we try to do there is, working through the chain of command, minimize the impact to that unit and then maximize the time to provide to that officer to come back and do the proper transition, to take care of himself or herself, and the family.” “

34-year-old Lopez, who shot dead three colleagues and injured 16 others before turning the gun on himself, returned from Iraq suffering from “mental problems,” according to officials.

The obvious link between psychiatric drugs and violent outbursts is a common theme that crops up in almost every mass shooting incident, yet the media is routinely loathe to make the connection.

After it emerged that Washington Navy Yard shooter Aaron Alexis “had been treated…. by the Veterans Administration for his mental problems,” the press showed little interest in discovering what drugs Alexis had been taking. The only medication currently offered by the VA for mental problems are SSRI drugs.

Staff Sgt. Robert Bales was also taking anti-depressant drugs when he massacred 16 Afghan civilians in 2012. SSRI medication, which is known to cause violent outbursts, is routinely used to treat PTSD, which goes some way to explain why there are so many stories about both active duty and returning troops carrying out acts of inexplicable violence on a regular basis.”

Rachel went from this :

To this :

” Take Rachel Washburn, age 25, a Philadelphia Eagles former cheerleader:

Rachel was an Eagles cheerleader from 2007 to 2009 while she was also a student at Drexel University. She graduated, joined the Army, did paratrooper training, and has now served two tours in Afghanistan as an Army intelligence officer. “She’s a 1st lieutenant based out of Fort Stewart, Ga., served as part of a Cultural Support Team designed to attach women to existing special ops units with the express purpose of relating more effectively to local women.”

” In a memo it distributed this week, the FBI warned that a breach of US government systems was “a widespread problem that should be addressed,” according to a Reuters report.

Activist hackers linked to the collective known as Anonymous have secretly accessed U.S. government computers in multiple agencies and stolen sensitive information in a campaign that began almost a year ago, the FBI warned this week.

The hackers exploited a flaw in Adobe Systems Inc’s software to launch a rash of electronic break-ins that began last December, then left “back doors” to return to many of the machines as recently as last month, the Federal Bureau of Investigation said in a memo seen by Reuters.

The memo, distributed on Thursday, described the attacks as “a widespread problem that should be addressed.” It said the breach affected the U.S. Army, Department of Energy, Department of Health and Human Services, and perhaps many more agencies.”

” It’s sadly fitting that William Swenson’s Medal of Honor ceremony at the White House on Tuesday has been overshadowed by the government shutdown and the looming debt ceiling crisis.

That’s because Swenson’s heroism at the Battle of Ganjgal in September 2009 has already been overshadowed by the mistakes of his superiors and bureaucratic delays. The former soldier waited more than four years for his recognition, much to the chagrin of his friends and military advocates.”

” Swenson, who left the Army in 2011, is the sixth living Medal of Honor recipient for action in Afghanistan, and the second for that fight in the Ganjgal Valley. Former Marine Dakota Meyer was awarded the medal two years ago for his part of that fight, dodging gunfire in another part of the steep terrain before meeting up with Swenson for the final push against the enemy.”

” Swenson declined media interviews in the lead-up to the White House ceremony and has been mostly silent since the battle. In an Army release, he called the medal an honor for “those I served with” and “my family and my teammates.” “

” The US Army is working to develop “revolutionary” smart armor that would give its troops “superhuman strength”.

It is calling on the technology industry, government labs and academia to help build the Iron Man-style suit.

Other exoskeletons that allow soldiers to carry large loads much further have already been tested by the army.

The Tactical Assault Light Operator Suit (Talos) would have such a frame but would also have layers of smart materials fitted with sensors.”

Here is a video from a demonstration held in July 2013 .

” This video is a recap of the July Demonstration for the Tactical Assault Light Operator Suit (TALOS). This demonstration has led to the following press release from USSOCOM about the TALOS Broad Area Announcement (BAA).

USSOCOM Seeks Ideas for Advanced Assault Suit Development

Tampa, Fla.–U.S. Special Operations Command issued a Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) for proposals and research in support of the development of Tactical Light Operator Suit (TALOS) TALOS is a USSOCOM effort to provide special operation forces (SOF) with enhanced mobility and protection technologies in a fully integrated assault suit. Some of the potential technologies planned for TALOS research and development include advanced armor, command and control computers, power generators, and enhanced mobility exoskeletons.

“USSOCOM is interested in receiving white papers from a wide variety of sources, not just traditional military industry but also from academia, entrepreneurs, and laboratories capable of providing the design, construction, and testing of TALOS related technologies,” said Jim Geurts, USOCOM acquisition executive. “The intent is to accelerate the delivery of innovative TALOS capabilities to the SOF operator.”The BAA goal is to foster collaboration with government, academia, and industry representatives on the TALOS effort. Prior studies and analysis have determined a number of technical challenges exist for the SOF equipment that require improvements for missions into the future. Those challenges include trade space between weight, protection, power, and mobility, cost, and system component integrationBAA will remain open until September 3, 2014.

And here is another video of the TALOS system , this time from a gamer’s eye view .

This revolutionary new combat system is in it’s infancy and the publicity is provided by the Army in an effort to get private industry to step up with the most needed technological advances necessary to make “Iron Man” a reality on the battlefield .

While we relish the idea of giving our soldiers every possible advantage on the field of battle , one must also realize that , that which makes the State more powerful against it’s foreign enemies can also be used against it’s enemies on the domestic front . Drones anyone ?

” A member of the U.S. Army Band who said he was reprimanded for having anti-Obama bumper stickers on his personal car, serving Chick-fil-A sandwiches at a party and reading books written by conservative authors like Sean Hannity is now facing Article 15 charges – which cropped up shortly after he went public with his complaints.

Master Sgt. Nathan Sommers, a decorated soloist with the Army Band, is being charged under a federal law that permits commanding officers to conduct non-judicial proceedings for minor offenses.”

” The M16 rifle, officially designated Rifle, Caliber 5.56 mm, M16, is the United States military version of the AR-15 rifle. The rifle was adapted for semi-automatic, three-round burst, and full-automatic fire. Colt purchased the rights to the AR-15 from ArmaLite, and currently uses that designation only for semi-automatic versions of the rifle. The M16 fires the 5.56×45mm NATO cartridge. The rifle entered United States Army service and was deployed for jungle warfare operations in South Vietnam in 1963, becoming the U.S. military’s standard service rifle of the Vietnam War by 1969, replacing the M14 rifle in that role. The U.S. Army retained the M14 in CONUS, Europe, and South Korea until 1970. Since the Vietnam War, the M16 rifle family has been the primary service rifle of the U.S. armed forces.

The M16 has also been widely adopted by other militaries around the world. Total worldwide production of M16s has been approximately 8 million, making it the most-produced firearm of its caliber. In 2010, the M16 began to be phased out in the U.S. Army and is being supplemented by the M4 carbine, which is itself a shortened derivative of the M16A2.

The history of the m16 that held the 5.56mmx45mm round. Talks about the development of the firearm through the vietnam era to modern day.”

” Retired Gen. Stanley McChrystal joined the growing ranks of talking heads speaking out on the current gun-control debate on MSNBC. McChrystal appeared on the show to talk about his new memoir ”My Share of the Task” but was quite clear about his position on the private ownership of weapons such as M4-style carbines. McChrystal was the commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan before he resigned in the wake of a scandalous Rolling Stones article in 2010. I’m surprised he didn’t side-step the issue.”

What kind of army officer doesn’t support our constitutional liberties ? This is a clear demonstration of the PC rot that has infested the upper echelons of all sectors of government including the military . Seeing this blatant statism from a supposed defender of our freedoms has to make one wonder where the Army’s loyalties will lie when the SHTF .

” NEW BERN, N.C. — It was probably all over but the dying in late 1944, but no one could convince Germany’s Adolf Hitler of the fact.

In the seas, he was sending orders that virtually turned his once-feared, but now miniscule U-boat fleet into kamikazes; on land, he was pressing a mixture of his best warriors and some untrained teenaged soldiers to make a last great offensive to break the incoming Allied forces before they crossed the Rhine.

He chose to assault the American line along the Ardennes mountains in Belgium because he believed Americans would be the quickest to run. On Dec. 16, a surprise attack opened one of the longest battles of the war (it would last through late January 1945) — a battle that, at times, looked dark for the Yanks.

Its official name was the Ardennes Counteroffensive. But when newspapers ran maps showing the deep curvature of the American battle lines as a result of the offensive, the battle was popularly renamed “The Battle of the Bulge.”

Retired U.S. Army Col. Abbott Weatherly, now 96, remembers the battle well. He was in the thick of it, a young artillery major overseeing a battery with the 113th Field Artillery — a unit raised, in part, from Battery D, National Guard, in New Bern.

Abbott, born in 1916, graduated from the New Bern school system in 1935, when he signed up with the National Guard armory — located then where the New Bern police station is today. “

” Durning’s impressive 50-year acting career has been crowned by a Tony Award and nominations for two Oscars and four Emmy awards, yet he never lost sight of his wartime experiences. In 1990, when he was making his Tony-winning star turn as Big Daddy in the Broadway revival of Tennessee Williams’ Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, he opened up in a People Magazine feature. “There’s only so much you can witness,” he said of his time overseas. Indeed, his war decorations were hard-earned. Durning was the only man to survive a machine gun ambush on Omaha Beach – and he had to rise above serious wounds and kill seven German gunners to do it.

In late June 1944, Charles was seriously wounded by a mine at Les Mare des Mares, France but refused to seek a military discharge and spent almost 6 months recovering .

Months later in Belgium, he was stabbed eight times by a German teenage soldier wielding a bayonet; Durning eventually bludgeoned him to death with a rock. He was released from the hospital in time to fight in the Battle of the Bulge, where he was taken prisoner. After escaping a subsequent massacre of the other prisoners, he was obliged by American forces to return to the scene and help identify bodies. Finally, a bullet in the chest a few months later ended his relentless tour of duty – and began four years of repeated hospitalizations for his physical and psychological injuries. ”

” There is much to know about explosives. A wealth of art, science, and carpentry has developed around uncountable blasting concoctions. Explosives range from highly sophisticated scientific “achievements,” such as neutron bombs, to crude mechanical devices that any teenager can build, such as the relatively harmless bottle bombs that undoubtedly are exploding in backyards and vacant lots around America today. In Afghanistan, the principle enemy weapon is the IED: Improvised Explosive Device. Just an hour ago, on 26 August, a bomb detonated nearby, hitting our Afghan Army allies. The charge weighed perhaps 250lbs and was hidden in a culvert under a road that our Soldiers drive over routinely. A command wire was attached, and when Afghan soldiers drove by, it was detonated. Three men were wounded and a fourth was killed. Earlier this week, US troops nearby suffered loss of limbs from similar bombs, and loss of American lives is on average a daily occurrence. “